Seraphine's social media accounts, and especially her Twitter, try to portray her as the most relatable girl on the planet, with a dash of the melodrama from a tween soap opera like
Instant Star or
Gossip Girl's Jenny Humphrey storylines. Just like us, she's got a day job, a passion for music and a dream. Unlike us poor rubes,
she gets to live out that dream by joining K/DA. We, as her fans, are here to cheer her on, dutifully telling this fictional character that she can do it when she asks for our support, so that she'll later show us all how
she printed out our tweets and posted them on a bulletin board.
This branding experiment is beyond perverse—it's honestly offensive. Seraphine's
tweet about quitting her day job hits different during a pandemic where
over seven million people have lost their jobs. While a lot of young women suffer from mental health problems like depression, or have issues with their self-esteem when they try to express themselves through art, Seraphine's tweets about her issues aren't meant as an opportunity for other young women to be open and vulnerable about their issues. It's a naked attempt to get
League of Legends fans to further invest in their parasocial relationship with Seraphine. It's not that fictional characters can't or shouldn't bring up the kinds of things that real people deal with. Ironically, Barbie's vlogs—yes, the doll—do a great job of using her relatability and aspirational nature to create a space of safety,
where young girls can process complex feelings. But Seraphine isn't interested in fostering the growth of other young people—it's an emotional feedback loop directing you to more Seraphine content. Don't you see? You're one of her special favorite fans!
www.vice.com
linktr.ee
